Project: “Death from Above” - Day 2

December 29th, 2007 | DIY, Interactive, Life

PLEASE SEE PREIVOUS “PART 1″ BEFORE READING ON. -CLICK HERE-

Clever, Missouri - December 27th - 1700 hours
It has been two days since the original idea and creation of my plane that can carry and launch the bottle rocket payload. Although I promised myself to try launching yesterday, I was overcome by videos games, thrift stores, and casinos. A murky, murky gambling haze of yesterday still haunting me, I set out to complete my project today.

- Project: “Death from Above” - (CONT.)

Step 8: Check plane for preflight and load for payload test flights. Check.

Technical: The duct tape seems to have held up fine and everything looks in order. The charger is functioning well. Weather conditions seem ample for launch with a slight SW breeze, just enough to keep the plane air-borne in small area.

Step 9: Payload Test Launch(es). Check.

Technical: I am experiencing immediate problems with the payload. Although my estimates put the six bottle rocket payload at a feasible weight, I could not have been more wrong. The immediate nose-dives mean the plane is way too heavy. As you can see from the video, I attempt to test the plane without payload….perfect flight. From the video you cna also see that I troubleshoot the old fashion way. I remove the payload two rockets at a time until the plane is at a “flight-ready” weight. It turns out the plane can only really hold two rockets. But this is still a great thing. However, I need to reconfigure the launch tubes to only hold one rocket per wing.

Step 10: Reconfigure launch tube to accommodate one projectile per wing. Check.

Technical: I cut new, longer, launch tubes from two more straws. I mount the straw as close to the plane body as possible without disrupting the propeller. I also decide to construct a few new fuse extensions based on the new reduced payload.

Step 11: Launch my mad creation and enjoy. Check….well almost…

Technical: Although the flight weight, wind, and plane seem to be perfect, I fail to launch the plane successfully four times. It seems to nose-dive, even if not immediately. I almost blow the left wing off after a nose-dive that left a lit bottle rocket pined to the wing on the ground. My father is also almost hit in the face with a bottle rocket. Although a continuous failure, it is pretty awesome nonetheless.

Step 12: What went wrong? One more try? Check.

Technical: After talking to my dad a bit I realize that I may have made another mistake when reconfiguring the plane to one launch tube. As you can see, the single launch tubes extend well in front of the wing. This places the balance of the bottle rockets in front of the wing rather than under it. Thus causing the eventual nose-dives of the plane. My dad recommends placing the front of the launch tubes actually under the center of the wing. While I realize this means that one more failure like today and the plane wings are probably going to blow off, I am happy that my dad is so excited about the project. I probably should have consulted the old aerospace engineer first anyway.